{"id":2038286,"date":"2023-09-20T06:51:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-20T10:51:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congressional-hearing-sounds-the-alarm-on-chinese-communist-influence-in-k-12-classrooms\/"},"modified":"2023-09-20T06:59:16","modified_gmt":"2023-09-20T10:59:16","slug":"congressional-hearing-sounds-the-alarm-on-chinese-communist-influence-in-k-12-classrooms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congressional-hearing-sounds-the-alarm-on-chinese-communist-influence-in-k-12-classrooms\/","title":{"rendered":"Congressional hearing raises concerns about Chinese Communist influence in K-12 classrooms."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcongressional-hearing-sounds-the-alarm-on-chinese-communist-influence-in-k-12-classrooms%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2038286&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>America&#8217;s \u2064K-12 Classrooms at \u2063Risk of Chinese Communist Party Influence<\/h2>\n<p>A congressional hearing has raised concerns about the Chinese Communist \u200cParty (CCP) using Mandarin\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/china-backed-confucius-institute-rebrands-to-avoid-scrutiny\/\" title=\"China-Backed Confucius Institute Rebrands to Avoid Scrutiny\">language programs<\/a> \u2064to spread communist ideology and exert its\u2064 soft power in American K-12 classrooms.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Confucius Classrooms, which are K-12\u2064 versions of Confucius Institutes (CI) found \u200bin \u2064universities, are language programs funded and controlled by the CCP. In August 2020, the CI program&#8217;s D.C.-based headquarters was designated as a &#8220;foreign mission&#8221; by the State Department due to its biased Chinese language and cultural training for U.S. students,\u200b which is part of Beijing&#8217;s propaganda efforts. These language programs are guided by \u2062the CCP&#8217;s United Front Work\u2063 Department, the \u200dagency responsible\u2064 for influence\u2063 operations.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;The CCP is not funding these programs because\u200b they want \u200dus to \u2062learn,&#8221; emphasized \u200cMike Gonzalez,\u200b a senior fellow at the \u2064Washington-based \u2063Heritage \u2063Foundation,\u200c during the \u200bhearing organized\u2064 by the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary\u200b Education under the House \u2062Education Committee.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/texas-school-district-reverses-course-after-refusing-to-distribute-pocket-copies-of-u-s-constitution-5492542?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>Texas School District \u200cReverses Course After \u200dRefusing to Distribute Pocket Copies of US Constitution<\/h3>\n<p>            <\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/16\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/texas-school-district-reverses-course-after-refusing-to-distribute-pocket-copies-of-u-s-constitution-5492542?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/public-schools-hemorrhage-students-as-boom-in-homeschooling-continues-5491046?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>Public Schools Hemorrhage Students as Boom\u2063 in Homeschooling \u2063Continues<\/h3>\n<p>            <\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/14\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/public-schools-hemorrhage-students-as-boom-in-homeschooling-continues-5491046?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>According to Mr. Gonzalez, the CCP is taking advantage of America&#8217;s \u2064open society in an\u200d &#8220;asymmetric information warfare.&#8221; The CCP-backed language programs play \u2063a\u200c crucial role in\u200d shaping American public opinion to downplay the threat posed by the People&#8217;s Republic of China, as Mr. Gonzalez highlighted in a report as early as 2015.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;We should learn Mandarin. I studied Mandarin myself and Japanese \u2064and Korean. However, this is not about language \u200blearning. This is about \u200da foreign Communist Party-run country attempting to influence our thoughts and\u2064 actions,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p>Nicole Neily, president \u2062of Parents Defending Education (PDE), a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-school-district-paid-20k-to-organization-called-woke-kindergarten\/\" title=\"California School District Paid k to Organization Called \"Woke Kindergarten\"\">parent activist group<\/a>, called \u200don lawmakers to pass a law mandating disclosure of foreign investment in K-12\u200c schools.\u2062 Currently, this \u200drequirement only \u2063applies to higher education\u200b institutions. She also recommended a lower minimum\u2062 disclosure threshold of $10,000, compared to the $250,000 required \u2063for colleges.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>A recent investigation by PDE identified CCP-funded Chinese language teaching programs in at\u2064 least 143 K-12 school districts across 34 states and\u2062 the District of Columbia.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>In \u200c2019, a Senate investigation revealed the presence of \u200cConfucius Classrooms in 519\u200b schools in the United States. \u200dThe report \u2062also \u200bhighlighted that Chinese \u200clanguage teachers under Confucius Institutes were required to report to \u2064the Chinese embassy within one month of arriving in the United States. These controls on teachers aimed \u200bto export China&#8217;s \u2064censorship of political debate and suppress discussion of sensitive topics.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;We greatly appreciate the House Education Committee&#8217;s attention to the issue of foreign funding\u2062 in America&#8217;s K-12 schools. This is\u200c not an attack on \u2062Chinese\u2064 language \u200band cultural programs or the Chinese people,\u2063 but\u2062 a call for investigation and transparency,&#8221; Ms. \u2062Neily told The \u200dEpoch Times after the hearing. A PDE survey conducted in June \u200cfound that 87 percent of parents believe \u2064schools should be required to disclose funding\u2063 from foreign governments.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Families deserve\u2063 information about foreign funding in \u200cschools so they can assess whether\u200b these programs align with their values. Such oversight is\u2064 already in \u2063place at the university level and should\u200b be extended to K-12 schools. Hopefully, this can be an area of agreement between the two parties moving\u200d forward,&#8221; she\u200d added.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Neily&#8217;s comments were partly in response \u2063to\u2064 criticism from Democratic lawmakers.\u2062 Rep. Bobby \u2062Scott (D-Va.), the \u2064ranking member of the committee, argued that the hearing was a waste of time with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congressional-hearing-sounds-the-alarm-on-chinese-communist-influence-in-k-12-classrooms\/\" title=\"Congressional hearing raises concerns about Chinese Communist influence in K-12 classrooms.\">potential government shutdown looming<\/a>. He accused committee Republicans of injecting divisive politics into classrooms and promoting conspiracy \u200dtheories. Subcommittee ranking member Rep. \u2063Suzanne Bonamici (R-Ore.) shared that her\u200c daughter studied Chinese in China without concerns about\u2063 CCP\u2063 influence.<\/p>\n<p>After the\u2062 hearing, Mr. Gonzalez expressed his bewilderment, stating, &#8220;It was baffling\u2063 to hear elected members of Congress\u2064 downplaying the CCP&#8217;s \u2062intrusion into American\u200c students&#8217; education through Confucius Institutes \u2063and Classrooms as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/china-silences-australia-pm-scott-morrison-hijacks-control-of-wechat-account\/\" title=\"China Silences Australia PM Scott Morrison: Hijacks Control of WeChat Account\">alleged foreign interference<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> In what ways does the CCP&#8217;s investment in language programs serve as a strategic tool to advance its own agenda \u2064and exert influence abroad?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u2063Tates, with concerns over censorship and propaganda. These findings raised alarm bells about the \u200bpotential influence of the CCP in American classrooms.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The CCP&#8217;s goal is to shape narratives and influence \u200cpublic opinion \u2063in its\u200c favor. By infiltrating language programs and cultural \u2064education in K-12 classrooms, the CCP can subtly spread its ideology and exert soft power over young and impressionable minds. This poses a significant risk \u200dto American values, democracy, and \u200bnational\u2064 security.<\/p>\n<p>It is crucial to \u2062understand that the CCP&#8217;s investment in these language programs is not \u200cdriven by a genuine interest in fostering cultural \u2062understanding or promoting educational exchange. Instead, it serves as a strategic\u200b tool to advance its own agenda \u2062and project its influence abroad.<\/p>\n<p>The recent designation of the CI program&#8217;s headquarters as a \u200d&#8221;foreign \u2063mission&#8221; by the State Department underscores the concerns raised regarding its biased\u200d training\u2062 and propaganda efforts. These programs are not independent; they are guided and controlled by the CCP&#8217;s United Front Work Department, which is responsible for carrying out influence operations.<\/p>\n<p>Mike Gonzalez, \u200ca senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, emphasized during the congressional hearing\u2062 that the CCP is not funding these programs for the purpose of genuine learning. He urged policymakers, educators, \u200band parents to recognize the underlying motives and take proactive measures \u2063to protect American classrooms from foreign influence.<\/p>\n<p>One\u200c proposed solution is to introduce legislation mandating disclosure of foreign investment in K-12 \u2063schools. Currently, this requirement only\u200c applies to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/6-california-bills-target-housing-crisis\/\" title=\"6 CA Bills Tackle Housing Crisis\">higher education \u200binstitutions<\/a>.\u200b Nicole \u2062Neily, president of Parents Defending Education, highlighted\u2064 the necessity\u2064 of\u2063 extending this mandate to K-12 schools \u200cand lowering the\u2064 minimum disclosure threshold to ensure transparency and accountability.<\/p>\n<p>The investigation conducted\u2064 by Parents Defending<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A congressional hearing raised concerns over the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) using Mandarin language programs to spread communist ideology in American K-12 classrooms. Confucius Classrooms, similar to Confucius Institutes in universities, receive CCP funding and have curriculum and teacher vetting controlled by the party.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":238,"featured_media":2038287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2038286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2038286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/238"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2038286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2038286\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2038287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2038286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2038286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2038286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}